At the San Diego C&SS show, Jeanne Meadow hunts art pots to showcase her rare and collectible succulents

Succulent enthusiasts flock to the annual Cactus & Succulent Society Showat the Los Angeles Arboretum mid-August. It’s the largest of its kind in the US. Judges award ribbons and trophies based on how well a specimen is grown, its rarity, and how well it’s “staged” in its pot. Pots aren’t merely containers, they’re works of art, and may be more valuable than the plant. Below are what caught my eye and photographed well, but represent only a fraction of the unusual and beautiful succulents on display.

Above: A bonsai’d fig with its roots elevated in a Mark Muradian pot. His work is characterized by embossed patterns.

Above: Euphorbia gorgonis in a Mark Muradian pot. Notice the Fibonacci spiral in the plant’s center.

Above: An Epithelantha micromeris cluster in a container by Tucson potter Mike Cone. More spirals!

Above: Echinocereus pulchellus on the trophy table. If all this Latin seems tiresome, consider how it describes the plant. Echino = prickly, cereus = waxy, and ceroid cacti tend to be cylindrical. Pulchellus you’ll remember if you took Latin in high school—it means beautiful.

A twisted cactus, Eulychnia castanea spiralis. Don’t you wonder how and why it would do that to itself? Ow!

Above: A dyckia. I’m not sure why these bromeliad relatives are in the show, but they’re certainly beautiful. And treacherous. Those stiff leaves are like serrated knives.

Above: A Dioscorea elephantipes on the trophy table. The plant is owned by Keith Kitoi Taylor of the Sacramento Cactus & Succulent Society, who also created the highly textural pot. What makes this a succulent is the plant’s woody caudex, which is a water tank. The vining foliage is deciduous.

Above: Conophytum minimum. Sure wish I could get my hands on a few of those muffin-like pots.

Above: Of all the plants in the show, this was my favorite because of its deeply indented sides, rust-colored spines and variegation. It was entered by agave expert Tony Krock of Terra Sol nursery in Santa Barbara, and is an Agave potatorum hybrid. The three-word cultivar name is Japanese and wasn’t translated on the tag. Anyone know what ‘Ikari Rajeh Nishiki’ means?

It’s also possible to purchase collectible succulents and containers at the show. Here I’m with the two potters mentioned above: Mark Muradian (left) and Mike Cone (right). Photo by Jeanne Meadow.

Share this entry

https://debraleebaldwin.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Screen-shot-2017-05-20-at-10.09.40-AM.png570598Debrahttps://debraleebaldwin.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Logo-White-H200px.pngDebra2017-05-20 10:46:232017-11-30 15:13:23Plants and Pots at the Cactus & Succulent Society Show

They can outgrow some pots, but Even people with brown thumbs can grow prickly pears (Opuntias). There are dozens of varieties to choose from. Short. Tall. Wide. Narrow. I put my plants outdoors on the porch in summer and they are happy as can be. In the fall I bring them in and mostly don’t water them. They sit dormant in my living room window.
Thanks for the article. It makes me appreciate my plants all over again.
Joehttps://www.opuntiads.com/

Hi Debra!
I am searching for a good source for Lithops. My fiancé has been very patient throughout my obsession with Succulants and Cactus. He appreciates them but is not a “fanatic”. Recently he has become excited about Lithops and has been searching for some to no avail. He has a few but is really excited to get more. I’d like to feed the obsession!! Any help would be most appreciated! Thank you, Hilary